Part 10: The Training Ends

There was nothing for miles. Literally nothing, except for an atmosphere
composed of oxygen, nitrogen and other trace elements, as well as some kind
of ground. Before coming here, Phil had thought he had known isolation, growing
up on the go, never able to make many long-term friends. However, here there
was no life of any kind. No plants grew in the whiteness, and there were no
animals to feed upon them. As far as he could discern, there were no bacteria
or viruses either, based on the fact that their food hadn't spoiled in the
two years they had spent there. The next time he heard somebody arguing that
life will find a foothold anywhere, he would tell him or her of the Hyperbolic
Time Chamber.

Somewhere in the nothingness, there stood two warriors. Each brandished a lightsaber,
one with a blue blade, and one with a yellow. In the two years, GoChibi had
grown from age ten to age twelve. Yesterday had been her birthday. Instead of
coming up to Phil's waist, she was now level with his chest. After much trial
and error, her hair now was about shoulder-length. No bands held the hair in
place, since it always came undone during training. The proportions of her limbs
were closer to that of an adult, which had forced Phil to modify his fighting
style. He still had a reach advantage, but she was swiftly closing the gap.

In the year since Phil had begun streamlining various attacks, he had discovered
that only a member of the Physics Police could have developed this technique.
It required his in-depth knowledge of the laws of physics to know how far
he could bend them, and when he could break them. He now needed about one
thousandth the energy he had required before to reach the same level. His
power level had not risen significantly since he had begun his efforts. However,
he was squeezing as much energy from his powers as he physically could. Phil's
new technique was also stealthy, since it limited that amount of energy radiating
from the body. One could really be at level ten thousand, and read as a level
two.

Today was the final test of Phil's improved techniques. If all went as planned,
they would be almost on par with a level-one Super Saiyan without any chi enhancing
techniques. In this exercise, the lightsabers were on full power. With the strength
of the wielders, they could easily eviscerate each other. However, Phil had
been coaching GoChibi in her technique, and his own prowess had improved greatly.
Phil grinned. "All right, GoChibi, the sooner we finish this, the sooner
we can go home."

"Is that your surrender, Phil-san?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. Ready, set… Go!" The two began trading
lightsaber strokes. Phil was running purely on instinct. Block. Duck. Strike.
Block, block, block. Kick, kick, kick. With the Force flowing through each
of them, both could anticipate the moves of the other. Had a casual observer
been watching, they wouldn't have even seen movement. All they could do was
feel a strong breeze blowing their hat away, and occasional flashes as the
lightsabers struck. Even one of the Z fighters would have had difficulty tracking
them.

Phil purposely let one of her kicks through. It knocked him back, and he
used the distance to his advantage. Couldn't very well do this at point blank
range. "Improved Kamehameha!" He curled the fingers of his left
hand into the shape of a gun. He simply pointed it at GoChibi, and jerked
it backwards as if he was shooting with a pistol. Although there was no visible
light, Phil's hand glowed a bright blue. An instant later, there was a deafening
roar as the beam superheated the air around it. Following the roar was an
explosion that engulfed GoChibi. When the dust cleared, she stood there as
if nothing had happened. An attack that would have split the earth in half
had had no effect on her.

Phil closed in again. The two began to duel with their lightsabers. After
several minutes, neither had gained any ground. Phil stepped back, and pocketed
his lightsaber. GoChibi followed suit.

"That was a good warm-up. Improved Kaio-ken times one hundred!"
As opposed to the explosive burst of red light that would have accompanied
this maneuver a year ago, a faint red aura now surrounded him. He pressed
the attack, using his superior strength to force her back. Suddenly, a vague
yellow aura surrounded GoChibi.

Once again, the two were matched for power. Both began firing nearly invisible
chi bolts at each other. An equally powerful bolt intercepted each attack.
After several hours, it was obvious that neither was making any headway.

"Truce?"

"Truce." The auras faded, and they flew casually back to the living
quarters. The area where they had fought was pockmarked with massive craters.
Had that battle occurred on Earth, there wouldn't be much left of Earth.

Outside:

Piccolo sat meditating before the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He had returned
with Ecks only three hours prior, and would occasionally fall asleep. After
over a day of efforts, he had returned with small, laminated piece of plastic
that allowed him to do what he did naturally. In his photo, he looked as tired
as he had felt, and his left antenna was drooping. It unknown why, but of
the entire multitude of universes, with trillions of beings inhabiting each,
nobody had ever been pleased with their license photo. Piccolo was no exception.

When he wasn't sleeping, Piccolo was attempting to read the energy emanating
from the Chamber. It was a frustrating task, because each hour within lasted
about a fraction of a second outside. It was necessary for an advanced level
of power to be maintained for long periods of time in order for somebody on
the outside to accurately read it.

The more Piccolo sensed, the more upset he became. As time went on, he noticed
that they had made minimal progress in the time he was monitoring them. They
were, in fact, growing weaker. He felt the occasional tug at the energy field
that surrounded the one known as Ralph, but the drain was minimal. It was
rather frustrating; he had been bullied into allowing them in, and they were
doing… nothing!

The door opened. Phil and GoChibi stepped out. And Piccolo could now confirm
that they were significantly weaker. Rage etched on his face, Piccolo faded
into nothingness and appeared directly in front of Phil.

"What the hell were you doing in there? What, did you just feel like
watching TV and living off me for two years? I'm not welfare, pal, and you're
going to pay!"

"You will be fully compensated for your time and resources. As for your
accusation that my Goddaughter and I have been lazing around, would you like
to try me?"

The Namek grinned. "Sure, I could use a good laugh."

"Start whenever you feel ready." Phil didn't adopt a ready stance,
nor did he remove the large backpack that carried his personal possessions.

The grin still on his face, Piccolo lashed out. Just as his fist was about
to impact Phil's face, the alien found his hand in a viselike grip. It turned
out to be Phil's. Piccolo powered up to maximum strength, but was still unable
to remove his hand. He was considering ripping it off and regenerating another
when Phil casually threw the massive Namek through a wall.

Casually, Phil walked over to the hole. "Now, who's been slacking?"

Piccolo stammered, "This isn't possible! There's no way you could have
gotten this strong and still been able to hide it!"

"Tisk, tisk. You see, Piccolo, you technically are stronger than me.
In fact, you're a lot stronger than me. You simply are rather inefficient
in how you use your energy. While in there, GoChibi and I determined the most
efficient way to store and utilize chi. Goodbye." Phil began to walk
away. Piccolo staggered to his feet. "Oh, and Piccolo: don't mention
this little occurrence to your friends. I have no interest in world domination
or destroying the planet. I'm just doing my job." Phil flew towards his
teammates, followed closely by GoChibi.

"Ralph, Ecks! Good to see you! It's nice to have somebody more adult
around for once!"

"Hey!" GoChibi's face contorted into a pout.

Phil didn't respond. "Now, where is Usagi?"

Ralph and Ecks were still in a state of shock from what they had just witnessed.
After a few moments, Ralph stammered, "S-she's with Mr. Popo."

Phil sighed. "Look, guys, you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm just
the same as I've always been. Heck, I could teach you if you like. Now, let’s
go see Mr. Popo."

As they walked down the opulent hall, Ecks was using a Dragonball Z model Scouter
on Phil and GoChibi. The readings made no sense. According to the device mounted
over her eye, Phil was only as strong as he had been during his fight with Kerrigan,
and GoChibi was a shadow of her former self. Yet, she had seen him casually
toss about a being with about the same power level as a Super Saiyan. It just
didn't compute!

Phil looked over his shoulder. "Don't bother with that antique. It's
really easy to fool."

Mr. Popo was in his room. It was a spartan place, with only a small television
to indicate any changes within the last century. A few rugs dotted the ground,
and it had his bed was roughly queen-sized. Mr. Popo was asleep.

"Hey, Popo! Wake up!" Phil poked him roughly with the butt of his
lightsaber.

He snorted a few times. "Huh, what… Oh, hello. How are you?"

"We're leaving, and we need to take Usagi with us."

"Very well, she is in the bottle. We found it after we beat Garlic Junior.
It is very useful for keeping people from leaving." He nodded, indicating
a bottle that was reminiscent of "I Dream of Genie". Inside, a miniature
Usagi was hitting the side in a vain attempt to free herself. Phil pulled the
cork, and she left in a puff of smoke. When she rematerialized, she began beating
Phil's chest in the same manner as she had the bottle.

"Let me out!"

Phil sighed. "You are."

"Oh." Then she remembered who he was. "Foul villain! In the
name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" She pulled a silver dollar from
her pocket and yelled, "Moon Compact Transformation!" She began
to spin around. Predictably, this only served to make her dizzy. She finally
came to a halt, and collapsed. "Oh… I don't feel so good."

Ralph pulled her compact from his pocket. "As you may have noticed,
we went to the liberty of removing this from your person. And we aren't villains;
we're just heroes with a different agenda. Want another sniff of the chocolate
drink?"

"Yes!" Again, she shoved the bottle of ACME brand chloroform up
her nose, snorted it, and was rendered unconscious.

Phil addressed Ralph. "How many times has she fallen for that?"

Ralph counted on his fingers. "I'd estimate about… twenty times. Which
goes to show that one doesn't have to smart to run a planet."

"George W. Bush wasn't enough?"

Usagi was curled up in a fetal position, with a look of pure bliss on her
face. You see, she actually thought it did smell like chocolate. "I do
not want to think about the fact that I'm looking at my future Queen."
Oddly enough, it was GoChibi who said this.

Five Minutes Later:

SU5 was flying away from Piccolo's place. Once again, an unconscious Usagi
was in Ralph's arms. Ralph was complaining, "Why can't you or Ecks take
her?"

"Ah, quit whining. All you've had to do the last couple of days is sit
around and watch Usagi."

"Actually, Mr. Popo suggested the bottle immediately after all of you
left. However, the Sailor Senshi attacked en masse yesterday."

"C'mon, there were only four of 'em."

"Actually, the Outer Senshi were also involved, so there were seven
of them. I won, but it was tough."

"Well, good work then."

"Does this mean one of you'll take her?"

There was a simultaneous "No" in response.

Ecks interjected. "So, boss, what's the plan now?"

"Well, I figure we take the uber-ditz here to Hercule City so that she
can meet her future husband."

"No!"

"Why not, GoChibi?"

"They told me that they met at the World Marital Arts Tournament, not
before!"

"So, we have five days to kill?"

"That would about cover it."

Ecks snorted. "What are we supposed to do for five days?"

Phil shrugged. "I dunno."

While they discussed their next move, none of them noticed a tiny object flitting
about them. In fact, there were three of them. Each was the size of a small
insect, and shaped like a miniature syringe with wings. They had no obvious
propulsion systems, so it was a mystery as to how they managed to fly. Each
had a tiny insignia on it: a ribbon with two R's. The symbol of the now-defunct
Red Ribbon army.

Over twenty years earlier, an evil genius by the name of Doctor Geroe had developed
a small army of cybernetic and robotic warriors, which were referred to as androids.
Each had possessed above human strength and intellect, and was mostly loyal
to him. Along with a large number of human warriors supporting them, Geroe had
planned a campaign of world domination. There was only one thing he hadn't counted
on: Goku.

Although he was only a boy at the time, Goku had defeated the Red Ribbon
army almost single-handedly. After that, Geroe became obsessed with creating
the ultimate warriors. For the most part, he was successful; androids 16,
17 and 18 had each proven more powerful than even a Super Saiyan. Unfortunately
for the doctor, his creations had turned upon him. Eventually, these androids
were either destroyed or reformed.

However, Doctor Geroe had also realized that there was an alternate route.
One of his creations, known as Cell, was formed from genetic materials of
the most powerful warriors in existence. Goku, Vegeta, Freeza and many others
were all involved. A supercomputer oversaw the operation, dispatching the
probes to collect samples. The Cell defeated was from an alternate timeline,
and had little effect upon this Cell. However, in this dimension, the lab
in which Cell was created wasn't destroyed. Had this universe not fused with
the others, Cell would have been born, and then immediately destroyed by Trunks.
However, Phil's presence would have serious repercussions.

The supercomputer had discovered several new power signatures. By the time
the probes had arrived at Piccolo's home, the most powerful beings had left.
The sensors of the probes detected two of the signatures in the Hyperbolic
Time Chamber, but they were unable to enter. So, the supercomputer ordered
them to maintain their position. Now, with the new beings in transit, the
probes went into motion.

Their sensors relayed their data back to the supercomputer. It eliminated
Ralph and Usagi, based on their weak chi power levels. The others were targeted.
None of them were particularly powerful, but the supercomputer still could
access their knowledge and techniques.

Each probe landed on the back of the subject's neck, and inserted the syringe.
Much like a mosquito's bite, the host wouldn't notice the probe's presence.
Later, each would each find a lump caused by the immune system's response
to the anticoagulants meant to stop a scab from forming. The syringes released
a swarm of nanobots, and then drew the blood. With their weight nearly doubled,
the probes flew back to base.

The nanobots, little more than microscopic transmitters, swam in a great
swarm up the neck and into each subject's brain. Then, they attached themselves
to the portions of the brain responsible for memory and physical coordination.
They arrayed themselves to intercept the nerve impulses, and began to copy
and transmit the collected information back to the supercomputer. Within minutes,
the host's immune system destroyed the nanobots, but by then their work was
complete.

The supercomputer was a near-sentient construct, and it was capable of limited
independent thought. As the data came in, it became obvious that Ecks was a
dead end. She introduced no new chi techniques, and her power was laughable
compared to others it had sampled. She would not be introduced into Cell. However,
the other two possessed a more efficient mode of gathering and utilizing chi.
With this technique, Cell wouldn't need to absorb androids 17 and 18 to achieve
his full potential. In fact, he would go beyond Geroe's wildest imagination.
When the samples were delivered, they would be integrated into Cell. For now,
the memories were sufficient.

Then the supercomputer determined that it could easily harness this new method
to shorten Cell's gestation. The problem with Cell was that he required nearly
two decades of chi absorption and growth to be a viable opponent. However, this
new technique would cut the remaining maturation time to just over a month.
If the supercomputer had been capable of such an action, it would have laughed
maniacally.

To be continued.

Author's notes: Just a little foreshadowing. I realized that in order for an
opponent to pose a threat to Phil and GoChibi, it would need to either a) be
so insanely powerful that it would be more godlike than anybody I felt like
creating, or b) know Phil's technique. Now, Phil wouldn't go around teaching
this to random bad guys, so Cell was a logical choice. I also believe I managed
to come up with a good explanation as to how Cell knew so much just from a few
cells collected from various sources. Obviously, something had to be copying
information from the host's mind.